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Ex-GP facing more sex assault charges

Margaret Scheikowski

Former doctor Graeme Reeves now faces a total of 69 charges, including sexually assaulting and mutilating patients.

The 59-year-old, due to be tried in the NSW District Court in March on 17 charges, was re-arrested on Tuesday and later appeared in western Sydney's Parramatta Local Court on 52 new charges.

Magistrate Vivien Swain continued his previous bail but imposed new conditions including that he not leave the Sydney metropolitan area and agree to forfeit $50,000 if he breaches bail.

She was told his District Court trial was to begin on March 1 but Reeves' lawyer, Greg Murray, flagged a future application to vacate that date.

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The new charges cover the period from July 1989 to July 2004 and include 16 counts of aggravated sexual assault - involving sexual intercourse with different complainants, without the women's consent, and aggravated by him being their doctor.

Reeves also is accused of 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault, five of common assault, five of grievous bodily harm and 15 fraud-related charges.

Mr Murray said the latter group flowed from allegations that he was not entitled to practise as an obstetrician but having done so made fraudulent claims.

One charge stated that between April 2002 and July 2003, he obtained $69,869.91 by making a statement in an employment application, knowing it to be false or misleading.

His March trial relates to 10 women he operated on between 2001 and 2003 while working on the NSW south coast and in Richmond in Sydney's northwest.

Mr Murray said that in the material relating to that trial a police officer said the issue would be whether the then doctor's "activities occurred in the course of a medical practice or whether they were sexual assaults".

The lawyer said that on a quick reading of the new facts he understood the latest matters would involve exactly the same issues.

He said Reeves no longer worked as a doctor and had been "completing a thesis", the subject of which was not revealed to the magistrate.

"There has been some issues about that ... essentially, he is studying. It is his intention to return to full-time study and the thesis he has been working on," Mr Murray said.

"He is separated but his wife remains very supportive of him and takes an active interest."

Mr Murray said Reeves lived with his sister, as did his wife, adding that his adult children were also supportive of their father.

Ms Swain noted that Reeves had been on bail since August 2008 and had not breached any conditions, which originally were "rigorous".

The new charges were adjourned to Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on February 2.